Bong
38314
226159646
2008-07-17T02:27:25Z
Bennie Noakes
243121
/* Shottie */
{{Original research|article|date=September 2007}}
{{seealso|Bong (disambiguation)}}
A '''bong''', also commonly known as a '''water pipe''', is a smoking device, generally used to smoke [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]], [[tobacco]], or other substances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/marijuana/index.html|title=Office of National Drug Control Policy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwwebbb.gsu.edu/lawand/papers/fa05/albright_shawkat_susor/|title=Contraband: The Sale of Regulated Goods on the Internet}}</ref> The construction of a bong and its principle of action is similar to that of the [[hookah]], which is also called "water [[pipe (smoking)|pipe]]." Smoking a bong contrasts with smoking a [[Smoking pipe (non-tobacco)|pipe]] or [[cigarette]] in two major ways: bongs cool the smoke before it enters the user’s [[lungs]] (making it easier to smoke), and a large amount of smoke is inhaled quickly as opposed to the smaller, more frequent, inhalations of pipe and cigarette smoking.
[[Image:Bong glas.jpg|thumb|200px|right]]
==Etymology==
The word ''bong'' is an adaptation of the [[Thai language|Thai]] word ''baung'' ({{lang-th|บ้อง}} {{IPA|/bɔːŋ/}}),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thai-language.com/id/139827|title=Thai dictionary entry for ''baawng''}}</ref> a cylindrical [[wood]]en [[tube]], [[pipe]], or [[Packaging|container]] cut from [[bamboo]], and which also refers to the bong used for smoking. Bongs have been in use, primarily by the [[Hmong]], in [[Laos]] and [[Thailand]], for centuries. One of the earliest recorded uses of the word in Western literature dates to a piece in the January [[1971]] issue of the ''[[Marijuana Review]]''.<ref>The text read: ''Many thanks to Scott Bennett for the beautiful special bong he made for my pipe collection.'' Text cited in '''bong, n.3''' ''The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed.'' 1989. ''OED'' Online. Oxford University Press. 20 April 2006 http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50024920</ref> An even earlier reference, the McFarland Thai-English Dictionary, published in 1944 describes one of the meanings of ''bong'' in the Thai language as, "a bamboo waterpipe for smoking kancha, tree, hashish, or the hemp-plant."
==Operation==
[[Image:Bong diagram.svg|right|thumb|250px|Diagram of a bong in operation.]]
To use a bong, the base of the bong pipe is filled with [[water]] or other liquids. While [[alcohol]]ic beverages or oils can be used in a bong, both of these substances filter out some of the [[Tetrahydrocannabinol|THC]] when the bong is used for smoking [[marijuana]], because [[THC]] is fat-[[solubility|soluble]] and, to a lesser extent, alcohol-soluble. THC is not water-soluble, which makes water a good choice of fluid for filling a bong.<ref>[http://www.totse.com/en/drugs/marijuana/bong_sci.html Bong Science 101], retrieved [[25 November]] [[2007]]</ref> The substance to be smoked is packed into the cone piece and ignited.
The user places his/her lips inside the mouthpiece, forming a seal, and inhales, causing the flame to be drawn toward the substance. An inhalation is known as a "hit", "pull" or "rip." As the user [[inhaling|inhales]], the flame is drawn towards the substance, igniting it, and the smoke which is produced travels through a hollow pipe that is attached to the bottom of the bowl. The pipe enters via an airtight stem into a vessel containing water. The smoke rises through the water, which cools the smoke, and then the smoke is trapped in the air chamber above the water. At the side (or back) of the bong, above the water level, there is usually a small air hole (nicknamed the "carburetor" or "carb"), the user covers with a finger until the material in the bowl has burnt away, then uncovers and pulls all the smoke from the bong into their lungs (called "clearing" the bong). Not all bongs use a carb, many of the high end models have a removable bowl piece which works the same as a carb. These are usually seen on glass bongs that sometimes have glass on glass connections.
[[Image:Carborated Water bong diagram2.svg|120px|left|thumb|A diagram of a carburetor hole bong. Note the hole on the left.]]
===Comparison with other smoking methods===
[[Image:Pipe Dreams by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|A variety of pipes and bongs for sale. In countries where marijuana is illegal, retailers often specify their use for tobacco in an attempt to circumvent laws against selling drug paraphernalia.]]
Bong advocates claim that the cooling of the smoke helps to reduce the chance of burning the mouth, airways, and lungs. The water can trap some heavier particles and the more water-soluble molecules, preventing them from entering the smoker's airways.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/mj013.htm|title=Marijuana Consumption: Smoking, Eating, And Drinking Marijuana}}</ref> While smokers tend to believe that bongs are less damaging than other smoking methods, a [[2000]] [[National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws|NORML]]-[[Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies|MAPS]] study found that "water pipes filter out more psychoactive THC than they do other tars, thereby requiring users to smoke more to reach their desired effect".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maps.org/mmj/vaporizer.html|title=MAPS/CaNORML vaporizer and waterpipe studies}}</ref> Smoke from cannabis supplied by the [[National Institute on Drug Abuse|NIDA]] was drawn through a number of smoking devices and analyzed. A smoking machine, adjusted to mimic the puff length of cannabis smokers, drew smoke through a standard bong, a small portable bong with a folding stem, a bong with a motorized paddle that thoroughly mixes the smoke with the water, and two different types of [[vaporizer]]s.
However, MAPS<ref>Nicholas V. Cozzi, Ph.D. [http://www.ukcia.org/research/EffectsOfWaterFiltrationOnMarijuanaSmoke.html Effects of water filtration on marijuana smoke: a literature review]</ref> reviewed a study that examined the effects and composition of water-filtered and non-filtered [[Cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] and [[tobacco smoke]]. It found that when [[alveolar]] [[macrophage]]s, an important component in the lungs' immune system, were exposed to unfiltered smoke, there was a marked reduction in the macrophages' ability to fight bacteria, whereas there was no such reduction in those exposed to water-filtered smoke. It also found that there is substantial epidemiological evidence among tobacco smokers that those who smoke through water-pipes, as opposed to [[cigarettes]], [[cigars]], and regular [[smoking pipe|pipes]], have lower incidences of [[carcinoma]]. "It appears that water filtration can be effective in removing components from cannabis smoke that are known toxicants... The effectiveness of toxicant removal is related to the smoke's water contact area. Specially designed water pipes, incorporating particulate filters and gas-dispersion [[Laboratory glassware#Fritted_glass|frits]], would likely be most effective in this regard; the gas-dispersion frit serves to break up the smoke into very fine bubbles, thereby increasing its water-contact area."<ref>Nicholas V. Cozzi, Ph.D. [http://www.ukcia.org/research/EffectsOfWaterFiltrationOnMarijuanaSmoke.html Effects of water filtration on marijuana smoke: a literature review]</ref> This study suggests that a bong's smoke is less harmful than unfiltered smoke.
==Variations==
[[Image:Ice Bong.jpg|thumb|right|125px|Ice bong]]
===Ice Bong===
Most bongs have the outer glass (or acrylic) walls curved inwards towards the midpoint of the main tube. This inward curve allows ice cubes to sit at the midpoint of the bong, thus allowing the ice to cool the smoke without raising the water level by putting the ice directly into the water. This inward curve is often called an "ice catcher". The primary function of the ice is to cool the smoke to an even lower temperature then the water alone. The colder smoke causes even less irritation of the breathing passages compared to their non-iced counterparts. This ease of smoking allows for the user to maximize the primary function of the bong (large amount of smoke inhaled very quickly)
[[Image:horn 2.jpg|thumb|left|75px|An example of a large bubbler]]
===Bubbler===
A small bong where the stem is internal and the bowl is at the very top. Most of the bong is enclosed, with only a hole in the side to act as the carburetor. These operate very much like a pipe, since their internal chamber is so small, but they have identical parts to a typical bong. They are considered more pleasant to smoke out of than a regular pipe because the smoke is cooled through the water. They also do not produce the characteristic "chugging" sound of bongs when the smoke is inhaled.
[[Image:Vaporong 001.jpg|thumb|right|A vapor-bong designed for use with medicinal herbs.]]
===Vaporizer-Bong===
''<small>("vapor-bong")</small>''
A bong that uses a box-type vaporizer or heat gun to heat up the substance that is being smoked. The vapor goes through the attachment, filters through the water, and passes through a layer of ice.
===Shottie===
''<small>("pull-through" or "popper")</small>''
A bong made out of a plastic bottle which replaces the bowl and stem with a tube. To use a "shottie", a small piece of tobacco is placed into the end of the tube, which is then stamped into a patch of finely ground hash or cannabis. The user then lights the substance and gently inhales, slowly filling the chamber, and then inhales violently to pull the ash and unburnt tobacco ball into the water.
[[Image:Gravity bong diagram.svg|200px|thumb|right|A pictorial diagram of how gravity bongs (bucket bongs) operate.]]
===Gravity Bong===
''<small>("gravs", "g-bong", "GB", "bucket" or "plunger")</small>''
A Bong which uses water to generate a slow and constant vacuum in the chamber. These bongs tend to use less material and are considerably cheaper.
===Waterfall===
''<small>("wf", "Sobe bong")</small>''
This bong uses a vacuum much like a gravity bong. The difference is that a gravity bong has the user pull the bong upwards to generate the vacuum, while a waterfall stays in place, and the water generates the vacuum(by exiting the device via a small hole near the bottom).
A bong may be constructed from any air- and water-tight vessel by adding a bowl and stem apparatus (a slide)<ref>[http://www.slate.com/id/2191124/ Can a human skull be used as a bong?], retrieved [[12 May]] [[2008]]</ref>; there are reports of such things as videogame controllers<ref>[http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2007/09/n64_controller_bong_combines_t.html N64 Controller Bong Combines the Two Reasons Your College GPA Sucked], retrieved [[13 May]] 2008</ref> or even human skulls<ref>[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5764886.html 3 Accused of Using Corpse Head to Smoke Pot], retrieved [[12 May]] 2008</ref> being used as bongs.
==See also==
*[[Operation Pipe Dreams]]
==References==
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==External links==
{{Commonscat|Bong}}
* [http://www.google.com/patents?id=A4ktAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4&dq=bong#PPA8,M1 US Patent number:, Water pipe or bong William V. Erickson et al]
{{Cannabis resources}}
[[Category:Drug paraphernalia]]
[[Category:Cannabis smoking]]
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